Undercover Lover
by YaoiGoddessNekoJin
Summary: Barry goes undercover in Iron Heights to catch a corrections officer who has been raping inmates. On the inside, he runs into Leonard Snart and Mick Rory who decide to protect him. As affections start to grow during Barry's incarceration, will the three be able to come to terms with the fact that they're on different sides of the law? ColdFlashWave
1. Chapter 1

Okay, I've had this partially written since before Christmas, so I decided to finish the chapter and get it posted. I have been working on my other stories and plan to update some of those soon. Sorry it's been so long since I updated! I haven't been writing lately because my dog was deathly ill then I went on vacation. I haven't had the time or will to write. But, I'm back and hopefully can get the ball rolling with my stories.

~x~x~x~

To say that Barry was nervous would be an understatement. He followed the corrections officer down the corridor of Iron Heights as he fidgeted with the blanket and pillow he was carrying. When they came to a stop outside one of the cells, Barry took a deep breath. The guard used his baton to bang on the iron bars of the open cell door, most likely to get the attention of whoever was inside.

"Snart! Say hello to your new cellmate." he said in a bored tone. Barry's stomach dropped. It couldn't be. Could it? He edged around the door and shyly stood in the doorway to the cell. Sure enough, sitting on the bottom bunk with a book was none other than Leonard Snart. Damn, they didn't plan for this. Snart's eyes widened when he saw Barry standing there in a prison jumpsuit, bedding clutched in his hands. A smirk slowly spread across his face.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" he asked, rising to his feet and setting the book on the bunk. Barry looked nervously at the guard, who shrugged and walked away. Before he was out of earshot, they heard him say something.

"Play nice you two." Barry made a beeline for the bunk beds and placed his things on the top bunk. He turned to Snart, ready to make a deal with the man to keep the secret he was hiding.

"Don't blow my cover. Please." he begged quietly. Snart arched a brow.

"What cover?" he questioned. Barry sighed.

"As far as anyone in here knows, I'm a petty thief named Sam Erickson. I got busted robbing an electronics store. You can't let them know I work for the CCPD. I'm undercover." Snart looked shocked for a moment before recovering and schooling his features.

"Why are you undercover? Aren't there entire departments dedicated to this? You're just a CSI." he said, just as quiet as Barry had been. Barry looked slightly nervous at that.

"I'm the only one at the CCPD that will work."

"Why?" Snart asked suspiciously. Barry's eyes flitted away before settling back on Snart.

"We've been getting complaints of a CO abusing his power here. Several inmates have been attacked and raped. We've noticed, after looking at the prisoners that he goes after that he has a type, physically speaking. I was the only one who matched that type." Snart narrowed his eyes at Barry.

"I don't like this. You haven't been trained in undercover operations. What are you going to do when he goes after you? It's not like you have easy access to backup in here and you can't use your powers without revealing yourself." Barry shrugged.

"Hopefully, it won't get that far. I'm just supposed to be bait and report back to my contact when he starts making advances if he does. There's no guarantee he'll even notice me." Snart looked Barry up and down, smirking.

"Oh, he'll notice you." he drawled. Barry's face and neck turned bright red. Snart looked toward the cell door and grabbed Barry's arm, heading for it. Barry let himself be led out of the door, but tried to find out where Snart was taking him.

"W-Where are we going?" he asked. Snart just looked at him over his shoulder and smirked.

"We're going to see someone, Sam." he replied. Barry was at least glad that Snart wasn't going to out him. They went down a flight of stairs and stopped in front of another cell. Walking in like he owned the place, Snart let go of Barry's arm and moved to sit on the bottom bunk beside its occupant. Barry gawked. He didn't expect Mick Rory to be here too. Though, given his history, he really should have.

"What's the Flash doin' here?" he rumbled. Barry's eyes widened and he looked at Snart accusingly.

"You told him?!" he hissed. Snart's smirk never left his face.

"We don't keep secrets from each other, Barry. I've kept my promise. I haven't told anyone else about your identity, not even my Rogues. But, I trust Mick. Like I said, we don't keep secrets. He won't tell anyone either." Barry ran a hand through his hair in irritation and blew out a breath.

"Whatever." he said. Rory chuckled at him but didn't say anything. Snart turned to the man beside him and began explaining what Barry had told him. Rory looked at Barry skeptically after Snart was finished talking, like he couldn't believe Barry could pull this off. Snart looked back to Rory and got his attention.

"Keep an eye on him when you can." he ordered.

"W-what?!" Barry sputtered, utterly shocked. "You can't possibly be serious! I can take care of myself, Snart!" Snart just gave a self-satisfied smirk.

"For starters, kid, you can call me Len and him Mick." he said, nodding his head toward his partner. Barry was stunned into silence and he just gaped at the two men for a moment.

"Why are you looking out for me?" he asked quietly. Len's expression darkened.

"They shouldn't be using you as bait. You don't belong in here and you're only going to get hurt." Barry studied the two men for a moment.

"Why do you care?" Instead of answering, Len just shrugged his shoulders and looked away. Mick was looking at his partner, a knowing gleam in his eyes. Barry was confused by the soft look in the arsonist's eyes. He suddenly had the urge to figure the two men out. He wanted to know what made them tick. Barry was pulled from his thoughts by a bell ringing in their cell block. He looked questioningly at the two men before him.

"Lunch." Len stated simply, standing from the bed. Barry followed the two men and flow of convicts through the corridors to the cafeteria. They got in a line to get their trays and food and Barry passed the time by observing his surroundings. The walls were a dingy, white color, the same way they were throughout the entire prison. There were long tables lining the room in rows and prisoners were milling around and finding a place to sit. They huddled in groups and talked amongst themselves, sometimes shooting dirty looks at other prisoners. Barry startled from his thoughts when the person behind him shoved him forward roughly.

"Move!" the guy sneered. Barry looked in front of him and noticed the line had moved quite a bit while he had been studying the room. Barry ducked his head and walked forward, stopping right behind Mick.

"Sorry." he mumbled to the man behind him. Mick turned around and raised a brow, eyes flicking between Barry and the other man.

"Problem?" he rumbled. Barry looked up quickly and answered.

"No." It seemed like Mick didn't quite believe him, but he turned back around and held up his tray for the kitchen crew to put food on it. Barry did the same and tried not to wince at the pile of gross-looking mush that was plopped down. Once they had their food, Len lead the way to a table at the back of the room. They sat down at the end of the table Len and Mick started eating. Barry just eyes his highly suspicious "food" and pushed it around his plate with his spoon. When Len noticed, he smirked.

"Not hungry?" he asked. Barry glanced up with a sour look on his face.

"It's not that. Just...are you sure this can be classified as food?"

"You get used to it. Go ahead, try it." Len urged. Barry scowled at his plate and picked up a tiny bit of food on his spoon. He closed his eyes as he put the bite in his mouth and chewed. He slowly opened his eyes when he fully tasted it.

"Okay, so it's not that bad." he confessed. Mick laughed and Len's smirk stayed put. Barry smiled at the two men across from him. The food wasn't the only thing that wasn't that bad, it seemed. A moment later, Barry was taken aback when an arm was thrown around his shoulders. He looked to his right and saw a smarmy looking convict grinning at him in a way that unnerved him.

"Who's the pretty, new thing?" he asked Len and Mick. Barry looked at the two men and was surprised to see that Mick was glowering at the man and Len had a threatening, cold expression on his face. Barry tried to edge out from under the man's arm, but he tightened his hold when he felt Barry moving.

"None of your business." Len said slowly in a scary low tone. The man just smirked. Did he not know how dangerous Len was?

"Aww, c'mon. Won't you share?"

"Leave." Mick growled, making to stand up. The man jerked away from Barry, mumbling under his breath.

"Whatever." he said, walking away. Barry took a deep breath and let it out. He looked up at Len and Mick, who were following the man's movements with their eyes.

"Thank you." he said. That brought their attention back to him. Len shrugged.

"Things like that are going to happen in here. Especially with your looks." At that, Barry blushed.

"W-what do you mean?" he asked. Len smirked again, a look of wonder in his eyes. Did Barry really not know how good he looked? It was Mick who spoke up, though.

"You're very pretty, doll." he said. That caused Barry's face to darken and his brain seemed to short-circuit as he stuttered for a moment, unable to get anything out. Len and Mick just shared a look, endeared by the fact that Barry was so humble.

~x~x~x~

Later that night, after lights out, Len was laying on his bunk thinking about the turn that day had taken. On the one hand, it was always a delight to see Barry, on the other, though, the kid was in danger here and it would take a lot from Mick and himself to keep him safe. They would do it, though. He'd be damned if he let something happen to Barry. It seemed he had quite the soft spot for the Scarlet Speedster. Len was torn from his thoughts when a small, distressed sounding moan came from the bunk below him. Len raised himself up on an elbow and listened. A whine sounded, followed by the sound of Barry thrashing around. He must have been having a nightmare. Len threw the covers off of himself and hopped to the ground. He crouched down beside the bottom bunk and peered into the darkness, just able to make out Barry's features in the light filtering through the bars. Barry's brow was furrowed and he wore an anguished look. He was whimpering, throwing his head side to side and kicking his feet slightly.

"Barry." Len whispered. When that got no answer, he gently nudged Barry's shoulder. The small noises and moans Barry was making began to get louder, turning into words.

"No! No!" he whined. Len laid his hand along Barry's cheek, the boy unconsciously turning into it. He caressed the cheek and called for Barry again, a little louder this time. Barry woke with a gasp, jolting up, tears in his eyes. Green eyes found Len's blue ones and Barry launched into the older man's arms, sobbing into his chest. Len just held on as tight as he could, making little shushing noises and rubbing Barry's back. A few minutes went by and Barry was finally able to pull himself together. He sniffled as he pulled back from Len's chest. Len started getting up to go back to his bunk when Barry grabbed his wrist. He looked down into the sad, desperate eyes of the man in front of him.

"Don't go." Barry whispered. "Stay, please." Len thought for a moment before nodding.

"Scoot over." he said, nudging Barry's shoulder. Barry gave a little smile and moved against the wall, pulling the covers back so Len could get in. Len crawled into the bed, which was much too small for two grown men, and faced Barry's back. He considered his situation for a moment before making up his mind and gently wrapping his arm around Barry's waist, pulling the startled man against his chest. Barry was stiff for a moment but soon relaxed into Len's embrace. Len held him until the younger man's breathing evened out and Len himself was lulled into a peaceful sleep. Neither stirred again for the rest of the night.

~x~x~x~

Let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

I'm back! I should have been writing more lately because I've been laid up with a broken ankle for the past week. I've been in too much pain to concentrate, though. The pain is finally easing, so I decided to try finishing this chapter today. Sorry for the absurdly long wait on all my fics! I'm planning to work on them when I can.

~x~x~x~

Len stared down at the man in his arms, studying his face thoughtfully. He was beautiful, stunning. He seemed so helpless and fragile, but Len knew there was an amazing power buzzing just underneath the surface. Having that power wrapped in his arms felt exhilarating. Len noticed Barry's eyelashes fluttering slightly and knew he was about to wake up. He smiled ever-so-slightly as he watched green eyes open. Barry looked up at Len and smiled lazily.

"Morning." he said with a yawn. Len released him and watched as he stretched. Suddenly, a thought occurred to Barry. He raised a brow at Len. "Were you watching me sleep?" he asked. Not knowing what to say to not upset Barry, Len just smirked at him. Barry narrowed his eyes at Len and muttered under his breath. "Creep." Len was worried he had overstepped his boundaries for a moment until he noticed the small smile decorating Barry's face.

"So, do you want to talk about last night?" Len asked, concerned about the nightmare that had pulled the other man from sleep. Barry's smile fell and he looked down and started playing with a loose thread on Len's clothes.

"Not particularly." he mumbled.

"Barry." Len admonished. He knew from experience that keeping things like this bottled up inside was a recipe for disaster. Barry sighed in frustration and blew out a breath, the warm puff of air against Len's collarbone making him shiver slightly. Barry refused to raise his eyes as he began talking quietly.

"It was just about the Reverse-Flash." Len raised a brow.

"The speedster in yellow that was spotted around town?" he asked.

"Yeah." Barry sighed. "He killed my mother. But, in the dream, he didn't stop at her. He killed everyone else I cared about, too." Barry fisted his hands in Len's shirt, the other man holding on tight to him. "I wasn't fast enough to save them. I'm never fast enough." he whispered raggedly. When Barry looked up at Len, he had unshed tears in his eyes. Len was taken aback by the emotion swimming in Barry's eyes. The kid felt deeply. He wondered how it was fair for such a genuinely good person to have felt such agonizing pain. He didn't think it was. It wasn't fair at all for such a ray of sunshine to be brought down by sorrow. Len was pulled from his thoughts by the lights turning on. He ran a hand through Barry's hair and released him, moving to stand. When Barry gave him a quizzical look, he explained.

"It's about time for the morning head count. After that, we'll go get Mick and head to get breakfast. You can tell us all about the Reverse-Flash then." Barry nodded and stood, smoothing out his prison-issue wardrobe.

After the head count was finished, Len and Barry headed down to Mick's cell. Len greeted the pyro with a barely there brush of their hands. Barry caught the movement and wondered, not for the first time, what the two were to each other. Barry stood awkwardly by the door as Len took Mick to the back of the cell and had a hushed conversation with him. During the conversation, Mick's eyes found Barry's and the younger man blushed slightly under the scrutiny. Mick looked back at Len and nodded and they both turned and headed towards Barry, Mick's hand finding the small of Len's back.

"Let's go get breakfast." Len said as they reached Barry, who stepped out of the way and let the two other men pass him. They all walked to the cafeteria and stood in line to get their trays. After they got their food, Len found a section of table in the far back corner of the room that seemed to be secluded and empty. It was perfect for the conversation they were about to have. They all sat down, Len and Mick on one side and Barry on the other just like the day before, and began to eat. After a few moments of silence, Mick spoke up, being sure to keep his voice down.

"So, Len said you had a nightmare." Barry looked up in shock before turning a glare on Len, who didn't look apologetic at all. Furrowing his brows, he looked back down at his food, deciding to ignore the two for now.

"Scarlet," Len started. "You said you would tell us about the Reverse-Flash, remember?" he asked, much like one would ask a child. Barry looked up and huffed. He guessed there was no use trying to ignore them. They were masters of being annoying after all.

"Well, he was from the future." Barry decided to begin with. Both Len and Mick looked shocked at the news. Barry smiled slightly and shrugged. "Apparently, speedsters can time travel. Cool, huh?" he asked with a disparaging smile. "He came back in time to kill me when I was a kid. The future me that followed him got me out of the way and he killed my mom instead. Because of me." Barry said sadly, looking at his hands on the table. At the news that the Reverse-Flash had come back in time to _kill_ Barry, Len clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. Whoever this man was, if he was still alive, Len was going to kill him. Meeting Mick's eyes out the corner of his own, he could tell the other man was thinking the same. When Barry looked back up, there were unshed tears in his eyes. "Anyway, after that, he got stuck here, so he needed me. He needed me to get my powers sooner than I did in the original timeline. So, he sat and waited. He disguised himself as Harrison Wells and got rid of the original." Len sucked in a breath at this revelation. He knew how much of a mentor Wells had been to Barry. He could only imagine how devastating it must have been to find out the true identity of someone he had trusted with so much. Beside him, he heard Mick mutter.

"Damn." he said. Len had to agree. There was one question plaguing him, though.

"The whole time?" he asked. Barry nodded.

"The _whole_ time. He even had hidden cameras everywhere that I frequented. All over S.T.A.R. Labs, all over my former apartment, Jitters, Iris and Eddie's apartment, Joe's house. We found cameras _everywhere_." When Len spoke again, there was a cold edge to his voice and ice in his eyes.

"So, where is this Reverse-Flash? Do we need to plan a little party for him when we blow this pop stand?" Barry huffed a laugh as a single tear escaped his eye.

"He's dead. He sent me back in time to save my mom so that he could use the wormhole to go back to the future. When I returned, I decided to destroy his way home and we fought. I was losing, but Joe and Eddie shot him in the back while he was concentrating on threatening me. He died a few minutes later." Barry explained, playing with the food on his tray.

"Did you?" Mick asked quietly. Barry looked up.

"Did I what?" he asked.

"Save your mother." Barry looked down again as more tears gathered in his eyes.

"No. When I got there, I remembered that everything would change. I may have had a rough start, but my life hasn't been _bad_. But, I would lose everyone. Joe, Iris, Cisco, Caitlin, Eddie, our relationships would all be different or non-existent. Future me gave me the last push I needed when he motioned for me to stop. To not save her. So, I didn't. I listened to Eobard kill my mother and then I comforted her as she died. I told her who I was. She said I looked like her father." Barry smiled as more tears fell. He was infinitely grateful that they were sitting at the far wall of the room and he had his back to the rest of the cafeteria. All three men were silent for a moment before Mick spoke up.

"She would'a been proud of you." he murmured. Barry looked up sharply, gazing at the larger man with countless emotions flitting through his eyes. Finally, sorrow settled in the green depths.

"How?" he asked, shaking his head. "I'm the reason she's dead."

"Hey!" Len said firmly, drawing Barry's eyes to him. "Eobard is the reason your mother's dead. The _only_ reason. Quit blaming yourself."

"Yeah, but, if I had never become the Flash, never challenged Eobard in the future-" Len cut Barry off with a glare.

"Think of how many people you've saved, how many lives would have been lost if you had never become the Flash." Barry looked at Len with wide eyes.

"But my mom-" he mumbled.

"May have died anyway. You don't know." Barry seemed to deflate at that, shoulders sagging in acceptance. Len and Mick went back to their food and, eventually, Barry joined them. They ate silently after that, all three mulling over what they had learned during their conversation.


	3. Chapter 3

After breakfast, the inmates headed out to the yard. Barry went to subtly ask around about the crimes happening in the prison while Mick and Len sat on the bleachers by the basketball court. Neither of them particularly liked Barry going off on his own, but the speedster was stubborn. They had been sitting there, watching the game some of the inmates were playing, for about thirty minutes when a man came running towards them from near the storage shed. He took a minute to catch his breath once he reached them. He looked up at Len and Mick, motioning frantically at the shed on the other side of the yard.

"Your new boy got jumped!" Immediately, dread and anger flashed through both men and they jumped up, running for the shed. As they got close, they could hear sounds of a struggle and Barry's pained voice. Len tried to open the door and found it locked. He threw a glance at Mick, who stepped up and kicked the door in. The commotion caused everyone in the room to stop and look at the door. There was a ring of five or six men surrounding a bloody and beaten Barry, who was groaning on the ground. Mick and Len both saw red and rushed into the room, punching and kicking their way through the men. Barry watched in awe as the two men systematically took down the burly men that had attacked him. Out the corner of his eye, Barry saw the man closest to him pull out a shiv and get ready to enter the brawl. Using all the strength he could muster and running solely on adrenaline, he pushed himself off the ground and threw his entire body onto the man, knocking them both to the ground. They wrestled for the shiv for a moment, before Barry felt a sharp pain in his side. Gasping, he fought through the pain and finally got the shiv away, punching the guy across the face. Barry put a hand over his side, looking at it to see blood covering it. Suddenly feeling light headed, Barry looked around, seeing Len and Mick standing over a pile of unconscious men. Gathering the last of his energy, he gasped out Len's name before passing out.

~x~x~x~

"Len." Both Len and Mick whirled around at the weak voice just in time to see Barry's arm give out and him collapse to the ground. They both rushed over and gently rolled Barry onto his back. There was a dark red spot blooming over his side that they quickly realized was blood. They stood and Mick scooped Barry up into his arms, both taking off for the infirmary.

"Hold on, Scarlet." Len murmured.

When they burst through the infirmary doors, they were both shocked to see Doctor Snow sitting at the desk in the corner. When she saw Barry, she jumped up.

"Oh my gosh! What happened?!" she exclaimed. Mick moved to the hospital bed and carefully laid Barry on it.

"He got jumped." he grunted. Caitlin set about divesting Barry of the top of his jumpsuit so she could get at the stab wound. After taking in the copious amounts of bruising on his face and torso, Len noticed then, metal bracelets around both of Barry's wrists.

"What are those?" he asked nodding to the bands. Never ceasing her movements in her assessment, Caitlin answered.

"They're modified meta cuffs. They dampen Barry's powers." A sense of panic seemed to fill Len at the revelation.

"What about his healing?!" Caitlin glanced up from where she was cleaning Barry's wound before answering.

"That's exactly why he's wearing them. We figured he might get injured in here, reckless as he is, and can't afford for his wounds to heal too fast. It would be detrimental if anyone found out he was a meta."

"Well, take them off! He got stabbed! His wound _needs_ to heal!" Len growled.

"I can't!" Caitlin snapped. "If his stab wound heals, his bruises will too. Everyone who participated in jumping him will know something is up. He'll just have to heal on his own, at a normal rate. This wound isn't that deep. He lost a bit of blood, but he'll be fine as soon as I get him stitched up." Len wanted to say more, urge Caitlin to take the cuffs off, but Mick placed a hand on his arm, silently reassuring him that Barry would be alright. They sat in silence the rest of the time it took for Caitlin to finish attending to Barry. When she was done, she tried to get them to leave, but they refused, sitting at Barry's side as long as they were able.

~x~x~x~

It was dinner time when Barry's eyes finally began fluttering. He groaned and Mick hit Len's arm with the back of his hand to wake him up. He had began dozing a couple of hours prior and Mick didn't have the heart to wake him, figuring he needed the rest. Len jolted awake, looking around with wide eyes. When he looked Mick's way, the man pointed to the infirmary bed. Barry let out another groan and a hand came up to rub at his head. Len was staring intently when green eyes landed on him. Barry smiled.

"Hey." he said, voice raspy from disuse. Len couldn't help the corners of his mouth twitching up in response.

"Hey." he replied. "You scared us. How do you feel?"

"Like I've been hit by a semi." he said, chuckling slightly then groaning in pain.

"Yeah, well, if Doc Snow would take those meta cuffs off, you would be feeling fine." Len said bitterly. Caitlin scoffed from across the room as she headed over to Barry with a small flashlight. Before she could check his eyes, he turned to Len.

"You know she can't. I can't have my cover blown and be exposed as a meta. It's too risky." he explained gently. Len scowled, but didn't say anything. Mick laughed at him as Barry turned to let Caitlin check his pupil reactivity with a smile. When she was satisfied that his pupils were normal, she put the flashlight away.

"How do you feel? Any lightheadedness or dizziness?" Barry shook his head.

"No, just pain."

"Alright, I'll get you some pain meds." Caitlin said, turning to the medicine cabinet in the room. She unlocked it and took out some pills, handing two to Barry with a cup of water. "You're free to go, Barry. The three of you can go to dinner now." Barry moved to stand, Len and Mick immediately moving to support him should he need it. He walked with a little limp, but didn't need help from the Rogues.

~x~x~x~

As they were eating their dinner, Barry was glancing around furtively at the other inmates. He was clearly nervous, and had every right to be.

"Don't worry, doll. They won't bother you again if they know what's good for 'em." Mick said, trying to ease Barry's nervousness. Barry looked up, big, green eyes unusually bright.

"Thank you." he said solemnly. "I never did thank you two for coming to my rescue. I guess I got in a little over my head. I was asking too many questions and they got suspicious." Len snorted.

"Scarlet, it wasn't your fault. Those guys were looking for trouble." Barry nodded, but didn't say anything. He was touched by Len and Mick's reassurances. He looked back to his food. He wasn't particularly hungry, so he spent the rest of dinner moving the food around on his plate aimlessly.


	4. Chapter 4

A few days passed and Barry, Len, and Mick were getting closer than ever. The whole thing made Barry nervous, but at the same time, it felt nice. Logically, he knew he should keep his distance. Len and Mick were criminals. They were also two of his villains. But, deep down, he couldn't help the flutters he got in his stomach every time they showed they may care. Barry was lounging with Mick in his and Len's cell that afternoon instead of going outside. Barry was still injured and it hurt to move too much. He wasn't used to being injured for more than a day anymore. Barry was reading a book he got from what passed as a library here and Mick was watching him. He could feel the other man's eyes on him and couldn't help the flush of red he was desperately trying to keep from crawling up his neck in response. Len was...somewhere, taking care of some business. He didn't go into detail before he left. Suddenly, there was a loud commotion downstairs that drew Barry's attention. There were people yelling and sounds of scuffling. Barry stood and walked out of his cell to the rail that overlooked the downstairs. He was startled to find that there were a few guards being overtaken by a mob of inmates. Barry didn't realize his hand was about to take off one of the meta bracelets until Mick rested a large hand over it. Barry looked at the other man, concern in his eyes.

"Don't. It's too risky to reveal yourself. C'mon, let's stay in the cell." Mick said as he tried to pull Barry back into his cell. Barry resisted, though.

"We can't just do nothing! What's going on down there?" He looked up at Mick and, for a moment, Mick cursed the urge to always help that made Barry Barry.

"It's a riot. We need to be in the cell so we don't get caught up in it." Mick explained. Fear shot through Barry when he heard that.

"What about Len?" he asked urgently. Mick finally pulled Barry into his cell and tried to quell his fears.

"He'll be fine. He's survived more than one of these in the past." Barry didn't look satisfied with that answer, but he sat on the bottom bunk as the noise from below rose to a deafening level. Alarms started going off, signaling that the block was on lockdown. Barry picked at his clothes as time ticked by and there was no sign of Len. He wanted to go help, but knew that Mick was right. Exposing himself now would only result in disaster.

About an hour into the riot, Barry heard a noise outside the cell he and Mick were sitting in. Thinking it was Len, he stood and approached the door. By the time that Barry realized the man approaching wasn't Len, he didn't have time to react as he was struck across the face and knocked to the ground. Mick stood when he realized something was wrong, but didn't move because of the gun trained on Barry. Barry recognized his assailant as one of the men who had jumped him a few days earlier. It looked like he had gotten his hands on a guard's service weapon.

"What do you want?" Barry asked, nervous but firm. The man scowled.

"I was up for parole in a few days. Thanks to you getting me in trouble with the warden, my parole got denied. It's time you paid for that." he said, cocking the gun. Barry couldn't help his reaction. This entire situation was ridiculous.

"Me?!" he exclaimed. "How is this _my_ fault?! You're the one that attacked me!"

"Shut up!" the man roared. Mick was glaring daggers at the back of Barry's head, willing him to be quiet. The kid was going to get himself shot! Just when it looked like the loon in front of them was going to fire, Mick made a decision. He rushed the inmate and grabbed the gun, hoping he could protect Barry and that he didn't die in the process. Barry looked on in horror as Mick and the other man struggled for the gun. He stood and watched, ready to jump in if he needed to. Suddenly, there was a loud bang that echoed painfully in the small, cement room. Barry waited with baited breath to see which of the men, if either had gotten shot. Mick pulled back and punched the guy viciously in the head, watching him crumple to the floor, unconscious. When he turned to Barry, the CSI rushed forward at the sight of dark red blood soaking through the shoulder of Mick's jumpsuit. Barry covered the bullet wound with his hands, making Mick hiss in pain as he put pressure on it.

"We need to get you to Caitlin!" Barry said, urgency in his voice.

"Can't. We have to wait until the riot's over." Mick grumbled, moving to sit on the bottom bunk, Barry easing down with him. Barry looked around the cell, eyes wild. When he didn't find what he was looking for, he eased his hands off Mick's shoulder and unzipped the top of his jumpsuit. He pulled his shirt over his head and balled it up, using it to apply pressure to Mick's wound.

"You're so crazy! Why did you do that?!" Barry asked, worry clear in his voice. Mick chuckled.

"It's nothin' kid. I've had worse. That crazy bastard was going to kill you. I _had_ to do something." By the time Mick was finished speaking, he was looking deep into Barry's eyes. Barry was looking back, completely taken aback by the man before him. He suddenly couldn't help himself. He slowly leaned forward, closing his eyes, and gently connected his lips with Mick's. Mick gasped in surprise, but returned the kiss enthusiastically. His good hand came up and cupped Barry's face as they continued to share in a chaste kiss. Suddenly, Mick began laughing, breaking their mouths apart. Barry looked at him quizzically.

"What is it?" he asked, slightly put off by the laughing, thinking he'd done something wrong.

"Lenny's gonna be _pissed_ that I got to kiss you first!" he cackled. Barry raised a brow before giggling himself.

"Surely he won't be _that_ mad." Barry said. Mick rolled his eyes.

"Well, clearly you haven't been paying attention. He's such a drama queen." Barry laughed just as a form shadowed the cell door.

"Who's a drama queen?" Len asked, looking down at the unconscious form on the floor before stepping over him. Barry and Mick burst into laughter. Len just raised a brow at the two of them. Mick quit laughing very suddenly and Barry looked over as he swayed on the bed. Barry's smile immediately dropped and he put more pressure on Mick's wound.

"Mick, are you okay?" he asked. Len narrowed his eyes, just now noticing the blood on the shirt Barry was clutching.

"What happened?" he asked urgently, quickly stepping forward and kneeling in front of Mick. Barry explained the events that transpired just moments ago and Len clenched his fists and jaw in fury.

"We have to get him to Caitlin! He's losing too much blood!" Barry exclaimed. Len thought for a moment. With the block on lockdown, it would be nearly impossible for anyone to get to the infirmary from here until after the riot was over. Good thing Len wasn't just anyone. He remembered seeing a guard he knew at the doorway that lead to the infirmary. With a smirk, Len stood.

"Can you stand?" he asked Mick, who looked up at him with a scowl.

"How the hell do you propose we get down there? The cell block's on lockdown." Len looked confident as he answered.

"Yes, but the guard at the doorway leading to the infirmary owes me a favor. He'll let us out." Barry looked hopeful as he helped Mick stand, Len coming to his other side and resting Mick's arm across his shoulders. They all hobbled out of the cell and down the walkway. Mick grunted in pain as they started down the stairs, Barry shooting him concerned glances every time he did. They all ignored the chaos going on in the main room of the block, continuing until they got to the bars separating them from the infirmary.

"What are you doing Snart?" he guard at the gate asked.

"Got a hurt friend. You owe me a favor Belinski. Let us out." Belinski seemed to think about it for a moment. Finally, he sighed, pulling his keys out and unlocking the door.

"Straight to the infirmary." Belinski stated firmly. "You don't go anywhere else."

"Of course." Len said, smirking as they hobbled through the doorway. Belinski closed the door and locked it back, watching the trio as they made their way to the infirmary.

As soon as they entered the infirmary, Barry called out for Caitlin. When she came out of her office and saw them she rushed over, helping them guide Mick to the bed. Mick laid back on the bed and Barry gently removed his shirt from over the wound.

"What happened?" Caitlin asked as she prodded the wound.

"He got shot protecting me." Barry explained. "There's a riot going on in our cell block and an inmate with a grudge got a hold of a gun and came after me. Mick was there to stop him." Caitlin could hear the fondness in Barry's voice and it worried her slightly. Was he getting too close to his enemies? She'd have to keep an eye on that. Caitlin set to work administering pain medicine before cleaning the wound and getting the bullet out. Through it all, Mick only grunted here and there from the pain, but never let out more than that. Barry held his good hand as he and Len stood at Mick's side. By the time Caitlin was finished with Mick's shoulder and had an IV going, Mick had fallen asleep.

"Can we stay for a while?" Barry asked her when she was heading back to her office.

"He's going to be fine, but of course you can. I imagine your cell block is dangerous right now, anyway."

"Thank you." Barry said, sitting in a chair beside the one Len had taken. Caitlin nodded and walked back into her office to get some work done.

~x~x~x~

A few hours later, a guard, having heard where Barry, Len, and Mick were from Caitlin, came to get Len and Barry to take them back to their cell. Caitlin had decided to keep Mick overnight so she could watch him, though she reassured the other two that he was going to be fine. Reluctantly, Barry and Len followed the guard, Officer Black, back to their cell block. At one point during the trip, Officer Black moved to the back of the group, putting Barry between him and Len, who was in front now. Barry didn't think anything of it until he felt a hand grab his ass. He immediately stopped and whirled around, looking at Officer Black with wide eyes. The man had a sick smirk on his face as he stared Barry down.

"Problem?" he asked. Barry just turned back around with a huff, nearly running into Len who had stopped when he realized nobody was following him anymore. Len raised a brow at Barry, but the younger man just kept walking until he got back to their cell. Len scowled with suspicion at Officer Black and followed Barry. Officer Black just smirked and followed them.

Once they were back in their cell with the door closed, Len took a seat on the bottom bunk beside Barry.

"Wanna tell me what happened back there?" he asked gently. Barry scowled at a random point in the middle of the room.

"Well, I think I have my first solid suspect in the case I'm working." he grumbled, annoyed. Len's eyes narrowed as his mind raced with possibilities.

"What did he do?" he asked sternly. Barry knew he wasn't angry at him, rather he was angry at Officer Black, but that didn't make his icy, dangerous tone any less scary.

"He moved behind us so he could grope me." Barry mumbled. Len's stare hardened.

"Do you want help with the case? Mick and I could ask around about him." he offered. Barry shook his head.

"No, I can handle it. I've caught his attention now, which is a good thing, no matter how dirty it makes me feel." Barry shivered at the thought of what that creep wanted with him. He looked up at Len, sincerity shining in his green eyes. "Thank you, though." he said, leaning into Len's side. Len opened his arms and pulled Barry in even tighter, trying to soothe away the feelings that Black had evoked in Barry.


	5. Chapter 5

When Barry and Len went to get Mick the next day, Barry told Caitlin to have Joe and Cisco look into Officer Black. She immediately texted Cisco while the three inmates left the infirmary. They went back to Len and Barry's cell. It was yard time, but Len and Barry wanted to stay with Mick instead of going outside. They settled Mick on the bottom bunk and each took up a seat on either side of the larger man. Mick looked at Barry, a sly look on his face.

"Did you tell him?" he asked. Barry's brows furrowed.

"Tell who what?" he asked. Mick just raised a brow and Barry finally put two and two together. "Oh! Um, no." a blush rose high on Barry's cheeks and Mick smirked. Getting frustrated with being left in the dark, Len huffed.

"What are you two talking about?" he asked, irritated. Mick turned to his partner with a shit-eating grin on his face. Barry was just sitting there, face flaming red.

"Red kissed me yesterday." Mick said smugly. Len's brows rose high to his hairline before he scowled.

"Oh, really? So, you mean, I've been flirting with you since forever and you kiss _him_ first?" Len drawled. Barry quickly tried to defend himself.

"It was the heat of the moment and I-" he abruptly stopped as what Len said processed in his mind. "Wait, you've been flirting with me?" Barry asked causing Len to look astonished and Mick to burst into laughter.

"You're such a moron." Len said with a smirk. Barry looked indignant at the insult and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Hey!" Len's smirk turned into a grin.

"Come here, Scarlet." he said reaching his arms out. Barry reluctantly stood and walked around Mick, who scooted down the bed, to sit between the two criminals. Len pulled Barry into a hug before pulling back and cupping his cheek with a hand, thumb running across Barry's lower lip gently. Barry's face lived up to his nickname as Len leaned in and captured his lips in a sweet kiss. Barry brought up an arm to hook it around Len's neck as the older man deepened the kiss. Barry sighed with happiness as the kiss broke and both he and Len breathed in much needed air. He never thought anything like this would ever happen. He had given up hope of finding someone to reciprocate the feelings he had for them and now, not only did he find one person, he found two. They were his enemies and Barry knew that was going to cause problems later on down the road, especially with Joe, but he was willing to try and make this work. He knew it was quick, but Barry was always one to fall quick and hard. Both men on either side of him wrapped an arm around him and held him tight. Barry was happier than he could remember being in a while.

~x~x~x~

Barry met with Joe a few days later in one of the conference rooms meant for meetings with attorneys. He could tell Joe wasn't happy about the fading bruises that still littered Barry's face. Joe hadn't wanted him to go undercover in the first place. He had said it was too dangerous. At least there was one thing that Joe, Len, and Mick could agree on, he thought. Joe was there to go over some of the information that he and Cisco had found out about Officer Black. It seemed Officer Lance Black was a solitary man. He lived alone and had no close friends or family. Hell, he didn't even have any pets. His acquaintances all said he was quiet and kept to himself and he didn't have any complaints against him.

"So, we've pretty much got a whole bunch of nothing." Joe said with a sigh. Barry shook his head in disappointment.

"I _know_ he's the guy, Joe. He's got to be the guy! Won't any of the inmates speak out against him?" Joe shook his head.

"We've talked to all the inmates that were raped multiple times. None of them will name their attacker." Barry put his head in his hands. Joe continued. "We need proof Barry. Without it, we can't do anything."

"Right. Proof."

They talked for a few more moments before Joe had to leave. Barry decided he would take his chances asking some more questions around the yard. He didn't know where Len and Mick were, but decided to go it on his own again. He knew they would be ticked with him, but he was planning on being more careful this time. Barry slowly approached an inmate who had the same physical build he did. The guy looked jumpy and nervous. Barry thought he might have some good information.

"Excuse me." Barry said from behind the inmate. The man jumped and whirled around, startled by Barry's voice.

"W-what do you want?" the man asked in a shaky voice. Barry put his hands up in a placating manner.

"I just had a few questions." he said gently.

"About what?" the man asked defensively. Barry thought for a moment about how to word his questions so that he didn't put this man further on edge.

"Do you know Officer Black?" he asked. The man's face went white. So, that would be a yes. Barry clenched his fists. They needed to put this monster away!

"W-why do you wanna know?"

"Because he touched me. And I wanted to know if he did anything to you." The man's eyes went wide and he started shaking his head vigorously.

"N-no, no, h-he didn't do anything." The man turned to walk away, but Barry grabbed his arm before thinking about it to prevent him from leaving. The man stiffened, but stopped and turned.

"Please." Barry pleaded. "He needs to pay for what he's done. Ask for a meeting with the CCPD. Tell them what happened. We can make him pay." The inmate jerked his arm away and scowled at Barry.

"You don't get it, do you?! This is prison! _We're_ the bad guys! Nobody cares! COs can do _whatever_ they want to us and _nobody_ is going to step in!" With that, the man stormed off into the yard leaving Barry to stand, stunned and silent.

~x~x~x~

Later that night, as Len and Barry were laying on the bottom bunk in their cell, Barry spoke into the darkness.

"I talked to someone in the yard today. I think he's a victim on Black's." Len ran a hand through Barry's hair and sighed before answering.

"I don't want you asking questions without me or Mick with you. I don't want you getting jumped again." Barry raised his head off of Len's chest and looked at him.

"I know, but it was just one guy. He wasn't going to do anything to me."

"So, what did you find out?" Len asked.

"Not much. I just read the guy's behavior to figure out what he wasn't telling me. He was so jumpy and nervous. Especially when I mentioned Black. He really did a number on him. Anyway, I urged him to talk to someone at the CCPD, but he's convinced that nobody will really try to help."

"Can you blame him? They rarely do. We're the dregs of society. Most people don't care what happens to us." Len explained. Barry blew out a frustrated sigh.

"Yeah, but Joe and Captain Singh do care! _I_ care!" Len pulled Barry back into his chest and kissed his hair.

"I know you do, Scarlet. You three are the exceptions. Did you get any good information from Joe?"

"No." Barry replied sullenly. "All anybody could say about him was that he's a loner who doesn't have any complaints against him. I _know_ he's guilty, but Joe said we need more proof. I don't know what to do." Len stroked Barry's back as he replied.

"Let me and Mick look into it. We'd be more than happy to. We have some underground contacts that can find out information on anyone." Barry nodded.

"Okay, you guys can look into it." Barry mumbled.

"Good. Now, sleep." Barry felt safer than he ever had as he drifted off to slumber in Len's strong arms. He was in prison, but he felt warm and cozy and was soon fast asleep.

~x~x~x~

Len and Mick put their feelers out to find out more information on Officer Black. They told their informants what they needed to know and sent them out to gather intel. They wouldn't know anything for a few days so they settled in for the wait. A few days later, in the yard, while Len and Mick were conversing with one of their contacts, an officer came and got Barry.

"Erickson! You've got a visitor." Barry, who wasn't expecting anyone today, followed the officer, curious as to who had come to visit. Once they reached the visitor room that he normally saw Joe in, the officer that had brought him there left. Barry pushed open the door and stepped in, getting a bad feeling when he didn't see anyone. Suddenly, he was grabbed from behind and turned around to be shoved face-first into the wall.

"I heard you've been asking about me." a husky voice whispered in his ear. Barry tried to turn his head to see the man behind him, but he knew, with a sinking feeling, that it had to be Officer Black. Suddenly, the man's hand was grabbing at the front of his pants. "I'll give you something to ask about."


	6. Chapter 6

This is a short chapter, but hey, it's a double update. I figured I wouldn't leave you hanging too long. lol

~x~x~x~

Barry was scared. Scared enough to rival the night his mother died. He tried to wiggle away from Black, but the other man was much stronger than he was. After a moment of fondling him, Black stepped back and Barry turned around. The officer backhanded Barry across the face to disorient him and then grabbed him by the arm. He jerked Barry out the door and down the hall. Barry tried to get away, but he was unable to. Black pulled Barry through a service door and into the underbelly of the prison. It was very industrial looking, all gray and murky with pipes everywhere.

"Please don't do anything to me." Barry tried. He was shaking and his eyes were prickling with tears.

"Shut up." Black snapped. Barry's fear increased when they came to a large room that had a small, ratty-looking mattress on the floor, it didn't even have any sheets. The tears he had tried desperately to hold in broke free as he realized what was about to happen.

"Please." he begged. Black just smirked and turned toward him.

"On your knees." he ordered. Barry shook his head, shaking like a leaf.

"Please don't do this." Black just scowled and backhanded Barry again, making the younger man taste blood and fall to the floor. Black jerked Barry up to his knees by his hair with one hand, the other undoing his belt and pants. Panicked, Barry started yelling.

"Help! Someone help!" Black just laughed at him, hand still gripping his hair.

"No one can hear you down here." he said. "You're going to be my bitch for the next little while."

~x~x~x~

When Len and Mick were finished talking with their contact, now knowing where Black's little "rape den" was, they turned to go back to Barry, only to find that he wasn't there. They walked over to some inmates that were standing nearby, Len asking them about Barry.

"Have you seen Sam?" he asked. None of them had, so Len and Mick turned to go back inside the prison to check their cell when a voice stopped them.

"A CO came and got him." Len and Mick turned to look at the inmate who had spoken up. Len raised a brow in question. The inmate looked very nervous, but spoke anyway. "Y-you might want to find him. I-I accidentally let i-it slip to Black that Sam was asking about h-him." he looked and sounded full of regret. Len rounded on him, rage and worry boiling within him.

"You what?!" Mick tugged on his arm and pulled him away from where he'd gotten in the cowering man's face.

"C'mon. We gotta go _now_." he urged. Len turned and they raced into the prison. They headed for the infirmary first, hoping to get backup. When they saw Caitlin, Len rushed through an explanation and told her to call Joe and Singh. Thankfully, they got just the right information from their contact and were able to tell Caitlin where to send the cops. When they left her, they ran through the corridors, hoping they weren't too late.

~x~x~x~

"No." Barry had tears running down his face as Black pulled himself out of his pants. He was already achingly hard, excited with what he'd put Barry trough so far and the anticipation of what was to come. Black smirked and rested his member against Barry's lips, hand painfully grasped in his hair, and Barry pressed his lips together tightly to prevent its entry.

"C'mon! Just take it and it'll be over faster!" Black exclaimed. Barry shook his head as best as he could, but wouldn't open his mouth to respond. Coming up with an idea, Black took his hand from his length and pinched Barry's nose closed. Barry immediately realized what he was trying to do and held his breath for as long as he could. When black spots began dancing in his vision, he finally opened his mouth to gasp in breath by the lungful. As soon as he did, Black took the opportunity to shove his length into Barry's mouth. Barry gagged and coughed around the member, but the hand in his hair kept him from moving too much. Black began roughly thrusting in and out of Barry's mouth. Barry wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole. He hated this. There was a pain in his chest that was getting sharper and sharper with each passing moment and tears kept flowing down his face. Suddenly, without warning, Black was gone. Barry coughed and coughed, ending up vomiting right on the floor where he was kneeling. Warm hands rubbed his back and a familiar voice spoke gently in his ear, though Barry couldn't make out what it was saying. He looked up and saw Mick and Black rolling around on the floor fighting with each other. It looked like Mick had the upper hand and Barry sincerely hoped he beat the officer's ass. Barry looked to his side and saw Len's concerned face and realized it was him murmuring words of comfort in his ear. Barry knew what he must look like. He knew he had blood running down his face from his lip and his face had to be red and blotchy from his crying. He couldn't bring himself to care, though, as he leaned into Len's side. There was a noise at the other side of the room and Joe and Singh, along with about five officers came around the corner, guns raised.

"CCPD, don't move!" Joe shouted. "Hands up!" He had his gun trained on Mick and Black and Barry hoped he didn't shoot them both. Mick stopped punching Black and moved off of him, getting on his knees with his hands in the air. Black moved into the same position, but tried to lie his way out of the situation.

"These inmates attacked me. I was just defending myself." Joe looked to Barry.

"Is that true Barry?" he asked. Black looked confused.

"Barry?" With Len's help, Barry got to his feet and, through the tears, glared at Black.

"That's right, you sexually assaulted an undercover police officer." he said. "Looks like you're _my_ bitch now." Barry turned to Joe. "Black brought me down here to rape me. Len and Mick found me and saved me." Joe nodded.

"Arrest him." he told the cops behind him. Singh walked over and put a hand on Barry's shoulder.

"You okay Allen?" he asked, concern clear in his voice. Barry sniffed and nodded. He saw Joe eyeing him and realized he was still leaning on Len for support. He straightened up and blushed slightly, but didn't feel like explaining anything to Joe just yet.

"Alright, Barry, you're going to the hospital. Snart, Rory, stick around. We'll need to get a statement from both of you." Joe ordered. He turned to his foster son and smoothed down his hair. "C'mon, let's get you out of here." Barry looked back at Len and Mick longingly for a moment before making a decision.

"Just a minute." he told Joe and walked over to the two prisoners. Barry threw his arms around them both and whispered to them. "Thank you." he said. They hugged him back just as tightly as he held them and they all three stood there for a moment with the cops in the room looking on in curiosity. Finally, Barry let them go and stepped away, returning to Joe's side, ready to leave the prison.


	7. Chapter 7

Here's the next chapter! I apologize for how long it's taken me to update any of my stories. Life has gotten in the way. I had surgery in June and I've been sick lately. My depression has also started creeping back in and made me not want to do the things I enjoy. But, I've got the next chapter and I hope you guys enjoy it!

~x~x~x~

Barry twisted his hands together anxiously as he prepared to enter the mayor's office. The governor of the state was visiting and Barry had a very special request to make in person. When the door to the office opened and Barry was motioned inside, he sucked in a breath and walked in with his head held high. The governor and the mayor were both sitting at a conference table to the right of the door and, upon entering, Barry took a seat at the table himself.

"Mr. Allen." the mayor greeted. "You wanted to speak with us?" Barry cleared his throat and made eye contact with both men.

"Yes. Both of you are aware of the case I've been working at Iron Heights, correct?"he asked, surprised that his voice didn't waver.

"We are." the governor answered. "We're both impressed. You went above and beyond the call of duty to apprehend Lance Black and we both appreciate it." Barry fiddled with his hands under the table.

"Then you won't mind if I ask a favor of you?" he asked. The mayor and governor looked at each other curiously, but nodded for him to continue. "I wouldn't have been able to have done what I did without the help of two other inmates. They proved invaluable to me, not only with their contacts, but with their willingness to help, even though they both knew I was a cop. They didn't blow my cover, in fact, they saved me. When I was at Black's mercy, they were able to locate us and defend me. Because of that and their testimony that will most certainly lead to Black's conviction, I'm asking that they receive a full pardon for the crimes that put them in Iron Heights to begin with." The governor and mayor looked at each other in surprise before the governor asked what he really wanted to know.

"Who are they?" he asked. Barry looked down for a split second nervously before responding.

"Leonard Snart and Mick Rory." As soon as he said their names, the mayor burst out in astonishment.

"You've got to be kidding me!" he exclaimed. "You want the governor to just release Captain Cold and Heatwave?!"

"Just hear me out." Barry pleaded. "They're good men. They protected me numerous times while I was undercover. They're going to testify at Black's trial. They deserve a second chance. The only reason they're in Iron Heights now is because one of their men betrayed them during a small smash and grab. Look, I'll personally make sure they stay out of trouble."

"There is no way-" the mayor began, but was cut off when the governor held up his hand to silence him.

"Maybe we can work something out." the governor said.

~x~x~x~

Barry was walking through the precinct with a folder in his hand, headed for Captain Singh's office. Joe saw him and intercepted him, wondering why he was here at all.

"What's up, Barr? You're supposed to be on leave." Joe asked when he made it to Barry's side. Barry stopped and looked at Joe guiltily, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand.

"I am on leave. Just ironing out some details." Joe narrowed his eyes in suspicion as he took in Barry's behavior.

"Barry, you're a crap liar. Spill it." Joe said in a stern voice. Barry fiddled with the folder in his hand for a moment before handing it to Joe.

"Before you look at it, just...don't make a scene here, please." Barry asked of his foster father. Joe took the folder and opened it, inspecting the two papers inside. His eyebrows shot up to his forehead and he looked at Barry with wide eyes.

"You can't be serious!" he hissed. "You got Snart and Rory _pardoned_?!" Barry stood up to his full height.

"They deserve it." he said, strength in his voice he didn't know he possessed.

"They _deserve_ to rot in prison!" Joe argued back. Barry shook his head and laughed humorlessly.

"You just can't stand them because they're criminals. But, they're so much more than that!" Joe pointed a finger in Barry's face.

"Now, you listen to me, the reason I can't stand them is because they've come after my _family!_ More than once! They've tried to _kill_ you Barry!" Barry's eyes and voice softened when he responded to Joe.

"They're not like that anymore, Joe. They're _good_ men and they protected me in Iron Heights. They didn't have to, but they did. And, now they're going to testify against Black without expecting anything in return. We have no case without their corroboration. They could use that as a bargaining chip, but they're not. And...I care about them." Joe sucked in a breath as Barry quietly admitted the last part. Part of him wanted to argue, but a bigger part of him knew Barry had already made up his mind about this.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt." he said, deflated. Barry smiled softly and put his hand on Joe's shoulder.

"I won't. They won't hurt me, Joe." Barry said as he started walking toward Singh's office. "I've gotta run, but are we good?" he asked. Joe huffed out a sigh and smiled.

"Yeah, we're good Barr." Barry smiled brightly and turned to the door he had walked up to, knocking lightly. He was told to come in from the other side and he walked into Singh's office, seeing the man sitting behind his desk and going through a stack of papers. He looked up and motioned for Barry to take a seat on the other side of the desk. Barry obliged.

"Allen, what are you doing here? I thought you were on leave." he said. Barry huffed a laugh at having to answer that question twice.

"I wanted to know how soon I could get these taken care of." he said handing the folder to Singh. The other man took the folder and examined the papers inside. He had a look of surprise on his face when put the folder down and looked at Barry.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked. Barry smiled.

"I am. I told the governor I would keep an eye on them and keep them out of trouble, too." Singh raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"What if they skip town before Black's trial?" Singh asked.

"They won't." Barry said confidently. Singh sighed.

"As long as you know what you're doing." he said. "Let me make a call."

After Singh hung up the phone, he turned to Barry.

"Go ahead and take those papers down to Iron Heights and you can spring them before lunch." Barry positively beamed. As he walked toward the door, Singh spoke up again. "I assume you'll want me to file Letters of Association for you?" Barry turned crimson and stuttered out a reply to Singh's smirk.

"Y-yes, p-please."

~x~x~x~

Barry paced nervously as he waited for the officer that was going to bring Len and Mick to him. Being here made him nervous. He knew it had to do with Black and he knew the other man was behind bars now and not prowling the prison anymore, but he couldn't help it. He expected to see the man walk around the corner at any time and it made him uneasy. Barry was looking down at the floor when he heard a voice from down the corridor that instantly put him at ease.

"A full pardon from the governor, huh? What _have_ you been up to Barry Allen?" Len asked in a grandiose manner. Barry perked up and looked through the bars at the two men signing their things out. They were dressed in full Captain Cold and Heatwave regalia, seeing as they were picked up during a heist, and Barry blushed slightly at how good they looked. Barry walked over to the bars, waiting for the criminals to get their stuff and the guard to unlock the bars separating them. Gosh, he wanted to hug them so bad.

"I don't know how you managed it, but you did good doll." Mick rumbled when he turned toward Barry, waiting for the gate to open. Barry beamed and, as soon as the bars between them moved, grabbed the two older men around the neck and held on for dear life.

"Let's get out of here." he murmured, feeling safe again with Mick and Len's arms around him. Len chuckled against his hair and pulled away, gesturing for Barry to lead the way out.

Once outside, Barry started walking toward a car that definitely wasn't his.

"I borrowed Joe's car to come here." he said by way of explanation. Len hummed.

"Honestly, I didn't know you could drive." he said. Barry blushed bright red and ducked his head as they were all loading into the car.

"I _can_! I just _don't_." he grumbled. Len smirked at him as Barry started the car. Once they were on the road, Mick spoke up with a question he knew both he and Len were thinking.

"So, how'd you manage to swing a pardon, anyway?" Barry looked at him in the rear-view mirror before he began to speak.

"Well, I met with the mayor and the governor at the same time. When the mayor found out who I wanted the governor to pardon, I thought his head was going to explode. He was outraged. The governor, though, he took my request to heart, with a few stipulations for good measure." Len looked at him from the passenger seat, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

"And, just what did you agree to Scarlet?" he asked. Barry turned slightly red.

"Nothing much. Just that I would be personally responsible for the two of you, make sure you show up to court, and make sure you don't get into too much trouble."

"You did that for us?" Mick asked, taken aback by what Barry had agreed to. They were at a red light, so Barry turned around so he could look at both men.

"I believe in you." he said sincerely. Len and Mick were both touched by the pure honesty in Barry's expression. When the moment was over, Barry turned back around so he could continue down the road. The rest of the trip was made in a comfortable silence.

~x~x~x~

When they got to Barry's apartment, Barry unlocked the door and entered with Len and Mick on his heels. Needless to say, the one bedroom apartment was tiny and when Len got a good look at it, he decided on a different course of action.

"Nope." he announced. "This isn't going to work."

"What?" Barry asked, but stopped abruptly when Len plastered himself to his back. Barry's face turned crimson when Len's hand reached into his pocket and fished around until it retreated with Barry's keys.

"Mick, help him pack a bag. I'll go pull the car around." That being said, Len turned to leave.

"W-what? Where are we going?" Barry asked after him. Len threw a smirk over his shoulder.

"That's confidential." Mick made his way to Barry's bedroom and began throwing clothes on the bed. Barry huffed a sigh and trudged into the bedroom, pulling a duffel out of his closet and folding the clothes, placing them in the bag. He resigned himself to the fact that he wasn't going to find out where they were planning to take him any time soon. Once they were packed, Mick grabbed Barry's hand and bag and lead him out the door, locking up with the apartment key that Len had left them. Barry felt warm and content with the large hand wrapped around his smaller one and a smile plastered itself on his face. Once they reached street-level, they quickly made their way to the car waiting on the street. Mick opened the back door and threw Barry's duffel in, then slid in himself. Barry got in beside him and closed the door, looking to Len expectantly. Len smiled warmly at him in the rear-view mirror then slowly pulled away from the curb and into the street.

~x~x~x~

By the time they made it to their destination, Barry's stomach was grumbling in rebellion at not being fed for the past few hours. Mick chuckled and slung an arm around Barry's shoulders.

"Let's get settled, then we can go get something to eat." he said as they pulled into the driveway of a large, Victorian-style house. Len glanced in the rear-view mirror.

"Barry, meet Safe House #12. We always imagined this would be where we would go when we retired. It's right outside the city, but close enough we can hop in anytime we want." he explained. Barry took it all in then looked at Len and Mick, wide-eyed.

"It's beautiful!" he said softly. They all got out of the car and entered the house. It was clear that nobody had been there in a while. The fridge and pantry needed to be refilled and the entire place needed to be dusted, but they would deal with that in due time. Barry followed Len and Mick to the large master bedroom where they changed into more acceptable attire and Barry began unpacking his bag.

"Where can I put this stuff?" he asked timidly. Mick smiled warmly at the younger man and motioned to the ginormous chest of drawers against the wall.

"There should be some room in here." he said. Barry pulled open the drawers until he found an empty one and began filling it with his things. It was all very domestic. Barry blushed slightly at the thought and the warm feeling it caused in his stomach.

After they were all settled and changed, they headed out in search of food; first to a restaurant then to the grocery store because Mick was dying to get back in the kitchen.


End file.
